image by dharmesh

Other than the obvious lessons of inept politicians and corrupt police force, we learnt many things, from the common man, the twitter addict and the even the terrorists . From the lessons, here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for the inevitable next time.

Everyone

Stay indoors, stay away. Unless you have something to contribute. The telecasts showed more civilians around the taj than army men. There are going to be enough dead people, don’t add to the count and the confusion.

Don’t rush to find someone to blame. Religious nuts have been using misguided morons to fulfill their agendas for centuries now, nothing new about that. What we need is not more hatred, but an acute awareness that the dead have no religion. Religion does not lead to terror, extremism does. Paki’s are not the enemy, hate mongers are.

Instead of cursing the police and harassing the army, help them, its not fun being on your feet for 40 hours with no breaks,( I have done that, almost dropped dead) give them water, share your lunch. Stop heckling them.

Help getting medical aid to the wounded, take in refugees, be there for the stranger who needs a shoulder to weep on.

Remember that the worst part is dealing with survivors, and rehabilitating them, so chip in, everyone can help.

Twitter

Foolishly considered the greatest discovery of #mumbai, no doubt played and very important role. Proud of you, way to go, great job, but enough patting each others backs, follow up with a social movement not just terror induced textual seizures.

During an attack be careful about the info you pass on, don’t be a rumor mill, we have our elected representatives and other biggies for that.

Do not pass on sensitive info, like

• Place/time/number of police/security force action
• Anything that places specific people in danger, eg saw a military guy on the parapet creeping towards .. on the x floor etc
• Plans of future movements of the army/security/rescue teams
• Vulnerabilities in the security forces’ attack

Stop being selfish, this is not about you getting more follows or everyone recognizing you as the most profound micro analyst. Re tweet, link to those organizing relief work, spread some hugs, be of use.

Avoid communalism like the plague, we have enough factionalism in the country already. Remember Nero and his fiddle when Rome was burning? Well, schism’s are way nastier.

Those spreadsheets with names and numbers? Awesome.

Media

We forgive you for your ineptitude. We understand, none of your reporting crews have any idea what to do in a situation like this, so now, train them not to repeat the errors.

Enough has been said about you, so let me not elaborate, except that your job is to air news, not self seeking politicians, or further the great pissing contest between media houses. Do that with your shows, a terror attack isn’t a God given TRP booster. </sarcasm>

Politicians

I guess asking you to shut up and stay away is of no use, so dear elected representatives, at least show enough humanity not to make an election campaign out of still-warm dead bodies.

In the occasion of terror, since you there is never a right speech to make, here’s what will do; We need political voices that are strong without being inflammatory, decisive without making blunders.

Many of the above advice applies specifically to a #mumbai like situation. Even if that never happens again, the precautions we need to take are universal, and imperative. Let us live aware that decades of decadence and mistaking shortsightedness for pragmatism have landed us in serious trouble but that in spite of how helpless the situation looks, we can affect change.

As Nehru said

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the sound of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.

It’s tIme.